Executive chef John Degges re-imagined tortilla chips by using crispy pork skin, called chicharron, as a nacho base and topped it with seasoned beef, pico de gallo and queso.

Also, there is a permanent, complimentary nacho bar — a deconstructed approach to the usual chips and salsa starter.

Still flecked with remnants of Phillips Seafood — stained glass and brass fixtures here and there — Bayside Cantina's origins are more pronounced in its culinary experience and hospitality, marketing director Michelle Torres said.

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Only one dish is over $20, and it comes with chicken, beef and shrimp.

Like breadcrumbs to crab cakes, the cantina doesn't use a slab of refried beans or iceberg lettuce mounds as filler for its tacos, Harter said.

Each taco plate comes with three meat-stuffed flour tortillas, or mushroom and roasted peppers for veggie lovers.

While some may see the seafood-to-Mexican rebranding as incompatible, Phillips Seafood has embraced the one-off concept for years. It opened a sushi place in Atlantic City in 2006, as well as a sports bar and a world cuisine/fusion restaurant.

"A part of our brand is the diversity," Torres said. "Phillips will always be our roots, what we continue to grow with, so we’re not looking to move away from the seafood and our heritage."

And people can still enjoy the seafood buffet and carryout at Phillips Crab House on 21st Street.

"It just won't be on 141st Street," Torres said. "On this side of town, we have another option for them."

The still-wary can eat at the crab house then venture north for a margarita, to start.